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Renowned writers and performers to join Faslane 365 Blockade on June 5th, 10.00

Slarti | 02.06.2007 12:43 | Faslane | Anti-militarism

A.L. Kennedy, Roger Lloyd Pack, Rebecca Thorn and Leon Rosselson will be among a host of authors, poets, singer-songwriters and actors taking part in the second Power of the Word “speak-out” at the North Gate of the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Scotland on Tuesday June 5, starting at 10.00 a.m.

With song, poetry, stand-up comedy and readings, the writers and performers will entertain peace protesters, local people and the police, showing the Power of the Word in opposing the deployment and planned replacement of the Trident nuclear weapon system. Faslane is the ‘home port’ for Trident, described by Dr Hans Blix as a “weapon of terror”, comprising up to 200 warheads (each of which is 8 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb), 58 US missiles and 4 nuclear-powered submarines.

“I’m taking part in the Faslane 365 ‘Power of the Word’ blockade because I believe Trident to be immoral and barbaric. An unnecessary evil serving no useful purpose whatsoever,” said actress and musician Rebecca Thorn.

“Even in a country more than used to its leaders spending obscene sums of money on illegal enterprises Trident remains abhorred by the majority of the population of its host country,” said Scottish author A.L. Kennedy, participating in her second Faslane blockade. “Now with manufacturers baying for new weapons systems and a ramped-up nuclear power industry to support them, we have to say that enough is enough.”

Calling the decision on Trident “wrong, immoral, and stupid”, actor Roger Lloyd Pack added: “At a time when the very existence of the planet is threatened by our assaults on our environment, it’s sheer madness to add to the danger by developing nuclear weapons. They’re expensive, they’re not safe, and we can never use them.”

Others who have already committed to participate in the Power of the Word blockade include writers Alan Cameron, Jay Griffiths and Sean Legassick, poet Gerry Loose, actor Crawford Logan, singer-songwriters David Ferrard and Theo Simon (of Seize the Day).

Tens of thousands have participated and more than 750 people have been arrested since the Faslane 365 blockades started on October 1, 2006. At the previous Power of the Word Blockade in December 2006, Billy Bragg put in a surprise appearance, and Roy Bailey sang “We shall overcome” as several performers, including poet Adrian Mitchell, sat down, blocking the entrance of the nuclear base, and were arrested.

Slarti
- Homepage: http://www.faslane365.org

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  1. ooh... — welshun